Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Book Review -- Amish Abstractions!

How appropriate! After my last post about loving to work with solids, look what I've got here to review!

There is a new book out called Amish Abstractions, published by Pomegranate Communications. You can look at their website HERE!If you love antique quilts, antique AMISH quilts especially, as I do....you need this book in your collection.

I've got a large selection of books on Amish quilts, but this one really really pleased me! The quilts shown are from the collection of Faith and Stephen Brown. More than 75 quilts originating in communities throughout PA and the Midwest from 1880 to the 1940s are shown. LARGE photos...great detail....

There are contributions by Joe Cunningham, Robert Shaw, and Janneken Smucker.Being the kind of quilter who loves things a bit "quirky" I was pleasantly surprised that there is not an "overwhelming" amount of "center diamond" or "joseph's coat" or "bars" quilts which tend to bore me, even tho the quilting can be significant in them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE scrappy wonky versions of Amish patchwork, and there is plenty to whet my appetite in this book!

Crazy patchwork with feather stitching, wow colors against black, some quilts with TINY PIECING which to me means they were making the best use of every bit of left over scrap they could......

Where as "center diamond" quilts took big pieces of yardage and the piecing was simple, it also usually meant special purchases of yard goods in big amounts to make them. I do love the scrap bag quilts BEST! Pick up a copy if you have a chance....it's a lovely hard bound book, no patterns, just beautiful quilt after beautiful quilt, and lots of inspiration! A great "READ" too!

PS...this is as close to advertising for anyone else that I tend to get, but the note that came with the book said that they also have a related Amish Quilts calendar, boxed notecard set, notecard folio, book of postcards, and a jigsaw puzzle! If anyone on your "secret stitcher" list is in to all goodies Amish, these would be worth checking out. I know I'd be plum tickled if someone sent ME a jigsaw puzzle of Amish quilts! Remember, Valentine's Day is right around the corner!

10 comments:

Hi,Just wanted to say that I am a huge fan of your blog and your talents. Tried to email you and it didn't go through, then tried to comment and am not sure where that went - into cyberland somewhere! Third time is a charm, I hope. Lately, lots of blogging about Amish quilts. Thought you might want to drop by my blog and look at a miniature I made inspired by an antique Amish quilt. It is posted here:http://petitepieceoftheprairie.blogspot.com/ I would be thrilled if you took a look. Thanks for all your inspirational posts on your blog. You don't have to publish this long comment.Sheila Holland

We have a small amish community, and I love looking at their quilts and other thing they make to sell. Their quilts and aprons are so pretty. I think maybe I will do some solid fabric quilts. Thanks for showing the book. Happy sewing! I also love you blog and I'm a follower!

The quilts from this book are on exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco right now. It happens that I went to see them last Sunday! They are even better in person!! I was amazed at all the piecing in them - I am used to the more plain Amish quilts. I got lots of ideas and inspiration, too! I was strong and didn't buy the book, but I was really eyeing the postcards!

Ohhhhhh - I saw this advertised a little while ago and thought I wanted it. Now, you've given it a rave review, I KNOW I want it. Maybe I can get it for Valentines ... already added it to my Amazon wishlist :)